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It's no Drobo, but Western Digital is dabbling in the NAS space with its minty fresh ShareSpace 4TB Network Storage System. Aimed primarily at small business users and "multimedia" junkies, the 4-bay NAS comes with gigabit Ethernet, support for multiple RAID configurations, and even the ability to act as an iTunes music server. Not too many surprises beyond that -- well, aside from the $999.99 price tag; if that's too rich for your blood, the 2TB version can be had right now for three Benjamins less. As for real-world performance? We're told it's a "great NAS for the money and one of the better picks in its category." We're serious, check it out below.

Read - ShareSpace release
Read - ShareSpace review
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As should be clear by now, any talk of a successor to a still relatively new game console should be taken with a hefty grain of salt but, if word from Japan's Impress is to be believed, it looks like we could possibly be getting a clearer indication of what might be under the PlayStation 4's non-existent hood. Apparently, unlike the massive shift from the PS2 to PS3, the eventually PS4 will be a decidedly smaller leap, with it relying on a slightly speedier (and, likely, 45nm) Cell processor but not a completely new architecture. That would let Sony keep the cost down considerably while also easing development for the console since, by then, developers should finally have a handle on the PS3's hardware. To further cut costs, Sony is also said to be considering a switch from the speedy Rambus XDR memory to more traditional DDR3 memory, which could apparently be tied directly to the processor to cut down on latency. Or the PS4 could be powered by a pink slime that feeds on negative energy, you never know.

[Via Electronista]
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The how-to cat!

September 30, 2008    Category: Uncategorized   No Comments »

(Mike covered this in Made in Japan 32 but surely it deserves its very own dedicated post.)

In what are hands-down the absolute cutest video tutorials I have ever laid eyes on, Zannaleeidees employs a feline pal for manual demonstration - either that or Zannaleeidees actually is a cat. Whatever the case may be, I'm enjoying a newfound interest in chou-chou creation.

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If you're happy enough with the features your iPod offers out of the box that you don't want to install a custom firmware like Rockbox, but you'd still like to add a little personal flair to Apple's cookie-cutter look, you're in luck. Freeware application iPodWizard customizes the look and feel of your iPod's interface while still using a customized version of your iPod's default firmware on the device. That means you still get the same iPod software that you already know and love, but you can skin it to look however you want. Let's take a closer look at how to customize your iPod with iPodWizard.

What You'll Get

Before you put in the effort, it's always nice to see what you're working toward. Below I've rounded up some of my favorite custom themes, all of which you can install using iPodWizard.

Beautifully Black

iPod OS X

Northern Lights

Install Custom Themes

First, download and install the latest version of iPodWizard from the GetiPodWizard web site (as of this writing, the latest version is 1.3). This version of iPodWizard works with every iPod on the market except second and third generation nanos, the iPod classic, and the iPod touch. That means that if you've got a first through 5.5 gen iPod or first gen nano, you're ready to go with iPodWizard.

The iPodWizard Wiki already has a great tutorial detailing the process of installing new themes, so I won't go into a lot of detail. I will, however, share a few extra tips that would have helped me when I followed their tutorial.

First of all, since iPodWizard patches the firmware that's already on your device, you need to be able to tell iPodWizard where to find your firmware on your computer. Finding and downloading the latest firmware can be a pain, but if you know where to look, it should already be on your computer. To find it, go to Start -> Run and paste the following into the run box:

%appdata%\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPod Software Updates

That should take you to the directory that holds your latest installed firmware update—it's the file that ends in .ipsw. (If that doesn't work, try navigating to a similar folder manually.)

You can find themes on the iPodWizard Theme forum. It's a bit of a mess to look through, but if you pick your iPod type and sort the thread by number of views—like I did for 5th generation iPod themes—you can find a lot of the best themes really quickly.

Once you've got a theme you want to install and you've got your firmware handy, installing is a breeze. Just fire up iPodWizard, select iPodSoftwareFile from the Edit Mode drop-down, and select Open iPSW. Next, go to the Pictures tab, click the Load All button, and point iPodWizard at the folder containing the images of your theme. If your theme swaps layout and fonts, you'll need to perform similar operations on the layout and font tabs.

Once you've swapped the files you want to use with the defaults, just click the Write to iPod button. Disconnect your iPod (make sure to eject it properly first), and it should automatically reboot. When it does, your iPod's sporting a whole new look.

I'm relatively new to theming with iPodWizard, so if you're an old hand with this customization app, share you expertise in the comments.


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stevedcc writes in to tell us about an interview with RMS in The Guardian, in which he gives his views on cloud computing, with a particular focus on user access to data and the sacrifices made for convenience. "'It's stupidity. It's worse than stupidity: it's a marketing hype campaign,' he told The Guardian. 'Somebody is saying this is inevitable — and whenever you hear somebody saying that, it's very likely to be a set of businesses campaigning to make it true.'" Computerworld has a summary of some of the blogosphere's reaction to RMS's position.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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OpenID is an excellent solution for establishing a single identity for all your online accounts, but many people haven’t even tried it yet. For some, the concept of using a URL address for a login ID instead of the traditional email address is still completely foreign.

However, Email to ID could be what the doctor ordered and what these creatures of habits need. It could also be what OpenID needs in order to expedite wide-spread acceptance as the single sign on identity standard. You can now link your email address (or several of them) to your OpenID and then use that email address (any of them) to log into any online service that supports it! The beauty rests in the simplicity of it all. Best of all, it’s all free and easy to do.

First, a little background information on this process

Email to ID is based on the EAUT (Email Address to URL Translation) protocol that allows standard email addresses to be transformed into URLs for services like OpenID. As far as concerns regarding security and who controls everything, EAUT was designed to work in a distributed fashion, so that there isn’t a single authority in charge of everything. Each email service controls how email addresses at their domain are resolved into URLs. 

Even though EAUT is designed to be decentralized, it will take time for email providers to add support. In these cases, a fallback service can be used which can translate ANY email address to a URL. Relying parties can use any fallback service they wish, but Email to ID is recommended.  The need for a fallback service will decrease as more email providers support EAUT natively. 

Why a fallback service like Email to ID?

Emailtoid was designed as a technology prototype to act as a temporary solution to a usability problem in OpenID. Email to ID always defers to the email providers first and only falls back to the local resolution service if the email provider does not support email-to-OpenID resolution. 

What’s important for Email to ID’s long-term Success?

There are a couple of things that need to happen in order for Email to ID to become a normal part of our online experience. First, OpenID needs to formally and officially support the EAUT protocol . Second, all email providers need to get on board and support OpenID and EAUT. It’s not only good for their members but for them as well so it’s really a no-brainer. The same is true for all online services and their stance regarding OpenID support - the more services that embrace OpenID, the better for us all.

How to do it

Here’s how easy it is to connect your email address with your OpenID account. It literally takes a couple of minutes. When completed we will show you how to use it with a site that supports EAUT such as Magnolia.
 

1. First, you’ll need an OpenID account. You might already have one because many services like AIM and LiveJournal include an OpenID for members. You can check here. If you don’t already own one then just create one from any of the official OpenID providers on that page. Popular providers include ClaimID, myOpenID, myVidoop, myID.net and VeriSign’s Personal Identity Provider. 

2. Go to Email to ID and add your OpenID account along with the email address you want to associate with it. You can add multiple addresses if you want. You’ll receive an email with an access key you can enter to complete the connection or you can simply click the link in the email. Either way works fine.

That’s it, really. It’s that easy. Enter the email address and OpenID account and they’ll be connected. You can just as easily disconnect them or add another email address or change the OpenID provider should you want to do so. It’s very flexible and puts you in control.

How to use your new email to ID account on a service

Now that you’ve linked your email address with your OpenID account, you can use your familiar email address on any site that supports it. In this example, we’ll use the popular social bookmarking service, Magnolia.

1. Go to the Magnolia sign in page and enter your email address in the OpenID box instead of the usual OpenID URL. 

2. You’ll be redirected to a confirmation page on your OpenID provider’s site. Click continue to complete the transaction. 

3. That’s it. You’re done. No need to enter tedious profile information or even a password. Just create the screen name you want and the email address and you’re done with the sign-up process in a fraction of the time that it usually takes. Email to ID and OpenID handles all of the dirty work for you.

Final thoughts

You’ve just gotten a glimpse of what could very well be the future of online registration thanks to the OpenID single sign on identity system along with the Email to ID URL translation based on the EAUT protocol. As mentioned earlier, in order for this much improved process to become a common standard and available everywhere online more services need to support OpenID and EAUT. The good news is that increasing new services are in fact supporting OpenID. To keep up with all of the new additions to this list go to the OpenID Directory or subscribe to its RSS feed which updates constantly.

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Related Articles at Mashable | All That's New on the Web:

The Daily Poll: How Often Do You Use OpenID to Login?
Another Victory For OpenID: Yahoo Announces Support
Blogger’s OpenID Support Now Official
Wikispaces Adds OpenID Suport
Blogger Beta Gets OpenID Support
Wetpaint Adds OpenID Support
Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, IBM and Verisign Join OpenID Foundation

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Hitachi drug its oh-so-sexy 1.5-inch plasma to Japan after showing it off in Denver earlier this month, but what we didn't see at CEDIA was this: a 15-millimeter thin 37-inch LCD TV. The "reference" set packed a 1,920 x 1,080 panel and a fittingly designed stand, though it won't see mass production until "2009 or later." Ugh, even 1-inch just seems so bloated now.
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All platforms with Firefox: Just uploaded the latest version of the Better Gmail 2 Firefox extension, which has several updates and one neat addition. Here's what's new:

  • New! The LabelLinks4Gmail user script is now available on the Sidebar tab. As Adam described, LabelLinks4Gmail lets you associate more than one label parent with child labels.
  • Updated! The GmailAgenda user script has been updated. It's called "Show Agenda" in Better Gmail 2's General tab. It now works with Gmail Apps as well as vanilla Gmail accounts.
  • Updated AND New! The Redesigned skin has been updated, and there is now a Redesigned-friendly version of Folders4Gmail which replaces the green plus sign with a slick little triangle with a dark background that looks much better coupled with Redesigned. Choose "Folders4Gmail (for Redesigned skin)" in the Sidebar tab to use the style and script in conjunction.
Download Better Gmail 2 version 0.7 here or use Firefox's Find Updates feature. (I've submitted the new version to Mozilla Add-ons; approval is pending.)
Better Gmail 2 Firefox Extension for New Gmail


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We were already warned that the megapixel race was headed to the mobile realm, and as if you needed any more proof, here we are looking down the lens of LG's 8-megapixel Renoir. Clearly aimed at Samsung's recently unveiled Pixon, this touchscreen-based handset found itself in the loving arms of CNET's UK branch. During the limited time editors spent with it, they found the interface to be eerily similar to that found on the Viewty and the camera to be a real winner. As expected, the not-a-3.5mm headphone jack was none too pleasing to critics, but we did overhear the T-Mobile G1 voicing its support of the port. Anywho, tap the read link for the full preview / hands-on shots.

[Thanks, T.I.]
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Dazzlin ‘duino demo graphics

September 30, 2008    Category: Uncategorized   No Comments »

That right there is a dang impressive video demonstration using an Arduino + TouchShield accessory. Shame cathedrow didn't post any code as of yet.
[via Liquidware Antipasto]

Makershedsmall
Arduino Crop
Arduino Diecimila
Last day for the Back-to-school-10%-off-everything-what-are-we-totally-loco? super sale in the Maker Shed!

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